Advocate Editorial Board opinion: Film festival returns with more talent

By the Advocate Editorial Board
March 27, 2014 at 5:01 p.m.Updated March 26, 2014 at 10:27 p.m.

Get ready for a movie marathon. From Thursday to April 6, the Victoria TX Independent Film Festival will return for its third year.

We've watched this festival develop since it began, and we are glad to see it is returning for another year of entertainment and activities to share with the Crossroads community. Last year's event featured 70 films shown in seven venues across Victoria as well as live performances by Berlin artist Stohead, who painted murals downtown and other artists, including live musicians.

This year, the festival will feature more than 40 films ranging from short films to feature-length films, including pieces from major film festivals and Oscar-nominated works. The reduction in the number of films was a deliberate decision based on feedback from last year's festival, Anthony Pedone, executive director of the festival, said. Participants in last year's festival said the large number of films shown at multiple locations at once meant viewers sometimes had to choose between two films they wanted to see. This year, the reduced number of films means some will be shown more than once to help participants see as many of the films as possible.

Another change will be the locations of the films. Last year, some of the films were shown at the Victoria Fine Arts Center. That caused some logistical problems when trying to move back and forth between viewings when most of the other films were being shown downtown. This year, the festival is trying to limit the venues to the downtown area, Pedone said.

We are excited to see the film festival return to downtown Victoria. After only two years, the festival is bringing in amazing filmmakers and artists to the area. This year, the festival will feature "Self Medicated," a documentary that began filming at last year's festival with the painting of a mural in downtown Victoria and will come full circle to be shown in the town where the project began. This project is exciting to see because it brings a new layer of depth to Victoria's involvement in the festival.

We applaud all of the filmmakers and artists who will bring their creativity and talents to Victoria for this festival. Your work is inspiring to see, and we look forward to enjoying the fruits of your labor. We are especially grateful to all of the men and women who worked so hard to bring this event to our town. This event is promoting a new, unique and creativity-oriented form of tourism in Victoria, and we hope to see this event become a major draw for film lovers across the country.

The festival begins at 8 p.m. Thursday with the screening of the film "Walter" at the Leo J. Welder Center. A full schedule for the festival is available on the film festival's website, vtxiff.com. We look forward to seeing everyone there.

This editorial reflects the views of the Victoria Advocate's editorial board.